As the first round of the NBA draft began with a thick French accent, then weaved its way through 30 picks Wednesday night, the Mavericks watched and waited.
The first half of the two-day event came and went with the Mavericks knowing that their heavy lifting regarding tweaks to the roster for the 2024-25 season almost certainly won’t be coming via the draft.
Free agency? Yes. Trades? Perhaps, although the two deals they swung in February were enough to jump-start the franchise to the NBA Finals.
And when you have a team that is coming off a season that is that successful, improvement is unlikely to come from the No. 58 pick in the draft, which the Mavericks still possessed after Wednesday’s proceedings.
The Atlanta Hawks took France’s Zaccharie Risacher with the No. 1 overall pick. And he was quickly followed by another Frenchman, Alex Sarr at No. 2. Shortly thereafter, another French product, Tidjane Salaun was taken by Charlotte with the sixth overall selection.
This after Victor Wembanyama of France was No. 1 in 2023 and a runaway winner of rookie of the year.
The Mavericks watched as the New York Knicks took Kyshawn George from Miami with the 24th pick, the one originally owned by the Mavericks but sent to the Knicks to finalize the Kristaps Porzingis trade.
George then was dealt to Washington for other draft considerations for the Knicks.
After that, the Mavericks kept their finger on the pulse of the league, which they will continue to do through the draft’s completion with Thursday’s second round (3 p.m., Dallas time) and throughout the coming weeks during free agency.
It will be a busy time for general manager Nico Harrison and his staff.
The first order of business is deciding what to do with the 58th overall pick. While finding immediate help is difficult to do that late in the draft, it’s not impossible. And the Mavericks also will be looking for potential projects to augment their roster from those players who are not taken in the draft.
Plus, judging from the first round on Wednesday, it’s entirely possible that there will be trade opportunities during the second round.
The first round featured a slew of teams dealing picks, both current and future, to maneuver around the first round. At least six trades were reported during the draft and there may be more than that when the dust settles.
Numerous second-round picks already have changed hands and there is most certainly going to be more on the move when action gets going Thursday afternoon.
Regardless, the Mavericks still had No. 58 as of late Wednesday night and will look to add depth to their roster on Thursday.
One of the plotlines that will dominate the second round is where Bronny James, son of LeBron, gets drafted. Most experts believe the latest he would go will be 55th — to the Los Angeles Lakers, for whom LeBron James stars.
It will be highly unlikely that the younger James is available when the Mavericks draft at 58.
Round two notebook: The Mavericks pick is the fourth time in franchise history that they will make the final selection in the draft. They also had the last pick in 1996 (Arkansas’ Darnell Robinson, 58th pick), 2000 (Cincinnati’s Pete Mickeal, 58th) and 2007 (Serbia’s Milovan Rakovic, 60th) . . . They also had the 58th pick in 2006 when they took George Washington’s J.R. Pinnock. There were 60 picks in that draft . . . Probably the best final pick in the NBA draft? Isaiah Thomas was taken 60th by Sacramento in 2011 and was a two-time All-Star. He also played a game with the Mavericks in the 2021-22 season . . . The Mavericks were one of five teams without a first-round pick (Brooklyn, Golden State, Indiana and the Los Angeles Clippers). The Mavericks had to send their pick (24th) to New York to finalize the Kristaps Porzingis trade . . . The time between picks in the second round will increase from two minutes, which is what it’s been for decades, to four minutes.
X: @ESefko
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